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21 Jun 2012

Pavlovas are notoriously tricky but CPIT hospitality tutor Stuart Goodall had a failsafe recipe ready for 10 young Vietnamese students who visited the campus on Monday 18 June.

The 11 and 12 year old students from The Olympia Schools in Hanoi were soon measuring and mixing ingredients for a variation on the classic Kiwi dish on the first day of a two week Study Christchurch tour. Judging by the smiles and messy fingers it was a good start to their Christchurch immersion.

The tour, supported by Education New Zealand, is designed to help the students practice their English language skills while introducing them to the New Zealand way of life. Presenting both secondary and tertiary study opportunities in Christchurch is also a key part of the tour.

The Olympia Schools is a private, American-style school where parents are keen for their children to study overseas according to Chris Chambers from Study Christchurch who recently spent two weeks in Hanoi during a visit to Asia.

“We are seen as neighbours, as Pacific Rim countries, so there is a strong sense of us being part of their world,” she said. However different Asian countries had responded differently to the Christchurch earthquakes. While Thailand was still nervous, Japan was business as usual. “The Vietnamese just have faith in us,” Chris, who is also International Dean at St Margaret’s College, said. “They can see we’ve gone out of our way to make Christchurch a safe city.”

Since the earthquakes, Christchurch’s education sector has had to work more creatively and collaboratively Chris said. “We’re working outside of the square now and we’re working together.”

Now that they have a taste for New Zealand food with the success of the pavlova rolls at CPIT, the Vietnamese students will visit schools and other tertiary providers from the Study Christchurch alliance to get a taste for Christchurch’s classrooms and culture.